


in the valley of kings

by DesertLily



Series: Mechtober [10]
Category: The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: Arson, Ashes as Hades, Character Study, Lucky Sevens - Freeform, Mechtober, Money, Polyamorous Mechanisms (The Mechanisms), Reflection, The Mechanisms-Typical Violence, gold - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:09:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27316045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesertLily/pseuds/DesertLily
Summary: Ashes never had any intention of ever paying taxes. Their love of gold came from a far more personal place
Relationships: Ashes O'Reilly/The Mechanisms Ensemble, The Mechanisms Ensemble/The Mechanisms Ensemble
Series: Mechtober [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950613
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	in the valley of kings

**Author's Note:**

> For the 'gold' prompt for Mechtober!

Before the Lucky Sevens, Ashes O’Reilly had had next to nothing. They were a street rat with a distaste for authority and a love of pyrotechnics. Money was not something that had come to them with ease. So they picked pockets and stole to get what they wanted. They sometimes dreamed of drowning in riches; thinking about what it would like to never have to worry about where their next meal would come from or just have enough money to truly  _ indulge _ . They had seen those with money before; seen the way they held themselves above everyone else. They hungered to be like that. 

Then they met Smooth Mickey. He offered them a semi-stable life complete with a pseudo-family. It was Ashes’ first time as a mobster but it would not be their last. So they delved into a life of crime and fire. For the first time in their life, they had actual money and income. Perhaps they spent it a little  _ too  _ liberally but it was worth it. The expensive suits and bass guitar they would come to treasure were a constant reminder that they were making their way up in the world. It gave them a taste for the grander things in life - a taste that would never go away. 

Things were going well. They thrived amongst the Lucky Sevens. Ashes found themself practically being ‘Uncle Mickey’s’ right hand person. They had everything they could have wanted (for they had not yet to learn to truly dream  _ big _ ). Then Mickey had to go and try to throw them under the bus. He tried to frame Ashes as a traitor and well...they certainly didn’t take that lightly. They took him trying to burn them alive even less so. And maybe they went  _ slightly _ overboard by burning down the entire planet. But it was worth it. Ashes didn’t regret it for a second. 

They were never sure if they regretted being mechanised. On one hand, the process had been  _ agonising _ . Their metal lungs were not something they would ever get used to, and Carmilla’s  _ many _ experiments would never be something they could truly forget. They would always linger in the back of all their minds. It was ironic that Carmilla was a vampire. After all, she haunted them all like a ghost. On the other land, there was a thrill to almost-eternal life. There was an excitement in death merely being an inconvenience rather than anything permanent. It also gave them love because that was the only way they could describe it. No matter how much all of them argued and bickered, they all still loved each other in their own ways. Ashes never cared much to deny it. Why would they? Unlike some people, they had been afraid of being open with their emotions. They had no reason not to be. 

It was two years after they were mechanised that Jonny gave them back their bass. Apparently, Carmilla had taken an interest in them long before they burnt Malone to a crisp. She had been  _ watching  _ them. Regardless of how sinister that was, it wasn’t surprising. It had also given the others a slight warning towards Malone’s fate. So Jonny had grabbed their bass; the closest thing he could give to an apology for what they had gone through. After all, Jonny had been with Carmilla the longest. He knew what it was like more than anyone. They knew they would never have the bond with Jonny that he had with Nastya, but they understood each other. Neither of them had been royalty. They had been at the very bottom of the food chain, rising up to be...whatever they were now. Their bass also reminded them of their original want: to never fall back to the bottom. The hunger for wealth that kept them afloat. 

In the grand scheme of things, none of them really needed money. They could take what they wanted whenever they wanted, and no one could really stop them. After all, they were  _ immortal _ . It wasn’t as if they could ever be kept down for long. But Ashes still found themself unable to live on that knowledge alone. So, like a fearsome dragon, they hoarded the one thing that retained its value across the universe. Gold. No matter where they went, gold seemed to remain a valid currency. Of course, they would always joke that the gold was just for ‘tax purposes’ if anyone asked and the others never pushed. They all had their quirks and coping methods. 

When Ashes became Hades, they were treated like a god. They were treated as if they were above everyone else and honestly? Who were they to disagree? If people wanted to fear them, then they would gladly let them. There was power in becoming the so-called ‘God of the Underworld’. They not only controlled their own part of Labyrinth; they controlled the Acheron. They had the ability to free those there and that really was a true position of power. Thousands would come pleading to them, begging for their loved ones to be returned. Of course, Ashes happily complied for the right place. That wasn’t to say anyone that came back was entirely...functional. But that wasn’t their responsibility. The citizens of Labyrinth had made a deal with their version of the Devil and it wasn’t Ashes’ fault if they didn’t like the consequences. 

There were many ‘godly titles’ Ashes was given as Hades. Monarch of the Dead. God of the Underworld. One of the ‘Twelve Olympians’. And their personal favourite;  _ God of Riches _ . Ashes was not known for being a dirt-poor street kid. They were known for their wealth and their ability to hoard it. They were known for living in luxury and without fear. They were known for their so-called greed. But it wasn’t greed. It never had been. 

It wasn’t out of selfish need or greed that Ashes hoarded gold. It was in honour of the hungry and desperate kid that had taken Smooth Mickey’s hand. 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are appreciated or hmu @ desert-lily on tumblr!


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